The other reviewers are right. This is a leather frag in the Tabac Blond trad. Although at times the leather smells a bit like rubber, it's very much leather and tobacco and birch tar. I bought it. But by the time I got home, the scent had completely faded from my skin--and I had sprayed a pretty liberal dose on my arm and wrist. When I read that other reviewers noted its short life span, I exchanged it. Still, a very nice traditional leather-tobacco-floral while it lasts. If you like it, be prepared to carry it with you to refresh the scent during the day. And, while you're at it, try Bandit and Tabac Blond which, as other reviewers have observed, are substitutes that are actually better, albeit sweeter in the case of Tabac, spicier in the case of the Five Lipstick Bandit.

Gomma is beautiful. It starts as a leather, a fairly wet, musky leather with a slight tint of dirty hair. The dirty hair blessedly fades, and it begins to warm into a more herbal leather -- I'm reminded a bit of Jolie Madame. After about half an hour to an hour, the herbal leather, which is not unlike vetiver, begins to transform and you end with a spicy leather, quite lovely. This isn't new purse, shoestore leather. It's much more subtle, with a more fluid line.

The comparison to Tabac Blond is also spot on. I've layered Gomma with Patou's Divine Folie, or YSL''s Opium, or Coty L'Origan, or Diptyque's Eau Lente, and it accepts spices beautifully, bringing it even closer to Tabac Blonde. Basically, mix Gomma with L'Origan and you have a poor girl's Tabac Blond!

The lasting power is subtle -- Gomma opens with pretty sound sillage, but becomes more intimate with time. It won't broadcast after a few hours, but when you sniff your skin, or move around and warm up a little, it makes its presence known -- would be lovely in an intimate situation, I think.

To be candid, Gomma turned out much better than expected. The last Etro I tried was the singularly frightening Anice and moreover, the name "Gomma" sounded a bit like something like a creature from outerspace so I was unsure what my little vial might hold.

I am pleased to report that while Gomma is a bit odd, it is not unpleasant. In fact, I found the spiciness in its top notes to be quite intriguing and it had a lot in common with Aftelier's Tango in case you've smelled ever that (St. Lucia buns, "baked seashells", etc...). Leather then emerged from Gomma in an enjoyable, slightly old fashioned way and the dry-down was just fine. Overall, Gomma is not something I would personally want to wear but I am glad to have had the chance to smell it.

From what I've been able to glean on the internet, here are the notes: citrus fruits, artemisia, Mediterranean jasmine, leather, and amber.

Your new SO is an extremely serious PETA member. Not just anti-meat and fur, but also no leather. Period. Your leather coats, bags, belts, shoes...all solemnly have been turned over to Goodwill for the sake of love. But your leather fragrances??? Stash them in the back of the closet. Love can be fleeting. However, in the meantime Gomma should be an acceptable subsitute. It's not a bad fragrance, but it certainly wouldn't make anyone suspect you've got a leather coat on. It's definitely got a leather vibe, but there is a slightly fake sense to it and the jasmine also adds an unusual note to it. Your SO won't be able to complain.

All day I've been testing Cuir de Russie, which I can not make up my mind about. Does it make me smell like fatty piece of discarded whale meat? Sort of. It's fatty and not very "pretty" if you catch my drift.

THIS however, is sexy and warm and way more girly. I am not sure why others say masculine. Tho perhaps it is the contrast with the aforementioned Cuir.

It has the qualities that I like in my favorite musky scents tho from what I'm reading it has no musk (really??), or vanilla (which makes me happy).

STRIKINGLY similar to Caron's Tabac Blond, almost to the point I thought I had a mislabeled vial. Leather comes out en force after a few minutes, and the jasmine never really breaks through on my skin. A kinky, strong scent, but weirdly, it disippated on my skin within a couple of hours. I respect Tabac Blond, but am not a fan of Cuir de Russie, so somehow, this falls right in-between.